Floor drains are typically installed by plumbers on the ends of drain pipes at a certain level above grade prior to pouring a concrete slab. After a drain has been installed at the desired level, a concrete slab is poured. After the concrete slab has set, tile or other flooring is laid on top of the concrete base.
It is desirable to have the entire floor, including the grate of the drain, at a substantially uniform level. However, after the concrete sets, the grate member is fixed in position and cannot be easily adjusted to correct any differences with the level of the flooring. It is often necessary to chip away the concrete from around the grate to allow the height of the grate to be adjusted. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to allow the floor drain to remain adjustable after the concrete has set so that the level of the upper surface of the grate may be adjusted to be coextensive with the level of the flooring.
Previous attempts to remedy this problem have been made by placing plugs on top of the floor drain base when the concrete is poured. However, the drain is inoperable when these plugs are in place. As is well known, construction can often last for months or even years with long periods of inactivity possible on a job site. In floor construction, it is not uncommon for a concrete slab to be poured and then flooring to be laid several months later. Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an operable height adjustable floor drain throughout construction of a floor in order to drain water and other liquids that collect.
Also, a concrete base is often ground by large grinding machines or otherwise finished prior to laying a floor. It is necessary for such finishing machines to be able to access all portions of the floor. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a height adjustable drain which does not have portions protruding above the surface of the concrete base.